Truth Revealed: Will Everyday Shaving Help Grow a Beard?

We still have a lot of people asking us one of the same question: will shaving everyday will help grow a beard? Well wouldn’t that just be so nice for all of those follicly challenged men out there. And if shaving everyday helped, wouldn’t there be a lot less follicly challenged men?

Sigh. Ok, let’s talk about why shaving does not increase hair growth, you silly people. This is the last time you’re allowed to ask.

The Truth about Shaving for Hair Growth

The truth is that the number of hair follicles you have on your face is determined by genetics and hormones. Hair follicles are tiny tubes beneath the surface of your skin where your hair grows. They’re like a hole that you would dig to plant a seed. These follicles determine pretty much everything that has to do with your hair: color, consistency, thickness. More follicles, more hair on your face.

The sad truth is that aside from transplanting follicles from another part of your body (needless to say: not cheap) there’s nothing you can do to increase the number of follicles. Shaving everyday will not magically create more hair follicles to grow thick manly hair from.

What’s that? You don’t believe us? We have studies.

The Anatomical Record journal published a study way back in 1928 about whether or not shaving sped up or changed hair in any way. They concluded that shaving “a selected part of the beard area” has absolutely zero effect on a person’s hair color, texture, or growth rate. A 1970 study published by the Journal of Investigative Dermatology confirmed it as well, finding that shaving does not change or alter “the width or rate of growth of individual hairs.” So both your grandfather and your father have this figured out.

So how did this myth get started? Well a lot of it has to do with visual trickery. Your hair naturally tapers at the end, so when you shave, you’re getting rid of the thinner part of the shaft and exposing the thicker part near the skin. Your stubble seems thicker, but it’s not. Also, that thicker stubble probably stands out more against your skin, making you think that you’ve got a bunch more hair. Sorry guys.

Benefits of Shaving Everyday

But hold on there! Even though shaving everyday won’t make your beard grow faster, it can still do you some good. Here are some reasons why you should make it a habit to shave everyday:

At the end of the and of the day, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. Shaving will not increase hair growth. If you have the beard growth of 16 year old, just embrace it. Get some good face moisturizer and show off that smooth face. If you’ve got a patchy beard, just shave it man. No one looks good with a beard looking like a cluster of small islands.